Best Peach Crisp Recipe | Sweet Peaches With A Crisp Oat Topping! (2024)

This old-fashioned Peach Crisp recipe is made with fresh peaches, that are baked until tender, with a cinnamon-oat crisp topping. Served warm with a scoop of ice cream, this is a classic dessert that everyone will adore!

Table of Contents

• Why You Will Love This Peach Crisp Recipe
• What Is the Difference Between a Cobbler and a Crisp?
• The Ingredients You’ll Need
• How To Make Peach Crisp
• Tips for Success
• Peach Crisp Variations
• Can I Prep or Make This Ahead
• How to Store and Reheat Peach Crisp
• Can I Freeze This?
• More Easy Fruit Dessert Recipes
• Get the Recipe

Why You Will Love This Peach Crisp Recipe

• Irresistible Fresh Flavor: Fresh peaches are baked in a thick, syrupy sauce, topped with a buttery, crunchy cinnamon-oat topping. While the crisp bakes, those cinnamon-spiked juices bubble up through the topping, giving it crisp, candied edges throughout. Topped with fresh whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or just as-is, this classic dessert is sure to please!
• Great For A Party: This is a classic dessert that almost everyone loves, making it a great idea when serving a large group. It also travels well and you can easily double this recipe to fill a 9×13. I’ve included all my make ahead or prep ahead tips below in this post.
• Super Easy: You only need one bowl and the casserole dish to bake it in. The most intensive part will be preparing the peaches if you choose to peel them, and even that only takes a couple of minutes! You don’t need any fancy appliances, just a bowl, spoon, knife and an optional vegetable peeler.
• Affordable: I love a recipe that doesn’t require me to buy a lot of ingredients. Besides the fresh peaches, you will probably find that you already have all the ingredients needed to make this recipe in your kitchen.

If you happen to be a peach fanatic like me, you should try these frozen peach bellinis and this easy peach dump cake made with a box of cake mix. I also really love these easy peach dumplings served warm with vanilla ice cream.

What Is the Difference Between a Cobbler and a Crisp?

You might be wondering if peach crisp is basically the same as its yummy cousin, peach cobbler. Well, sort of! In fact, some people consider crisps to be a subset of cobblers, so take that as you will. There is one basic difference between the two: the topping.

Cobblers are made with dough toppings, essentially, whether you use biscuit dough, drop biscuit dough, pie crust (like in my classic berry cobbler), a streusel like topping (like in my skillet berry cobbler), or a cake-like batter poured on top (like this easy blackberry cobbler). This gives the cobblers a lumpy surface similar to a cobbled street (which is where the name comes from, apparently). Cobblers are fantastic with all kinds of fruit, and they’re easy to make.

Crisps are made with a crispy, crumbly topping mixture, rather than a soft dough or cake topping. The topping is similar to streusel and usually contains rolled oats, which crisp up during the bake time to give the dessert a buttery crunch. You can make a crisp out of almost any fruit, as well!

The Ingredients You’ll Need

Aside from the fresh peaches, this recipe uses kitchen staple ingredients that you probably already have everything you need on hand! For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

• Peaches: To make an 8X8 baking dish size crisp, you’ll need 8 heaping cups of peeled, thinly sliced peaches.
• Sugar: I use granulated sugar in the peaches, but you could sub this for brown sugar if you want a more caramel-y flavor to your peaches.
• Flour: Some of the flour is for the topping, while a couple of additional tablespoons help to thicken the peach filling, similar to an apple pie.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch also helps thicken the filling, and makes it silky-smooth.
• Cinnamon: This goes into the peach mixture as well as the topping. You can also add a pinch of freshly ground nutmeg.
• Salt
• Brown Sugar: For the streusel-style topping.
• Butter: The butter should be at room temperature. I use salted butter. If you use unsalted, you may want to add a pinch of salt to the topping.
• Oats: You will need old-fashioned rolled oats. Don’t substitute instant oatmeal or steel-cut oats, as these will not bake properly in the topping.

Do You Have To Take the Skin Off Peaches?

No, it’s not absolutely necessary to peel peaches before making peach crisp. However, most recipes recommend peeling, because the skin of the peaches can be unpleasantly tough in a dessert recipe. I recommend peeling peaches with a sharp fruit and veggie peeler, a small paring knife, or by quickly dropping the peaches into boiling water, then into ice water. This technique will cause the skins to slip off easily.

How To Make Peach Crisp

This easy recipe only takes a few simple steps and one bowl!

1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 400°F and butter your baking dish.
2. Filling: Combine the peaches, sugar, some of the flour, cornstarch, a teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the salt in a big bowl. Mix well, and pour into the baking dish.
3. Topping: In the same bowl, mix the sugar, remaining flour, butter, and remaining cinnamon to form a wet, lumpy mixture. Add the oats, and mix those in well to make a streusel-like topping. I find it easiest to use my hands for this. Scatter the oat mixture evenly over the peaches.
4. Bake: Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes. The crisp is done baking when the oats are a light golden-brown all around the edges.
5. Rest and Serve. Let your peach crisp rest for at least ten minutes, and then serve it warm, with vanilla ice cream if desired.

Tips for Success

So there you have it, one of America’s favorite summertime recipes in just a few easy steps. But before you start baking, be sure to check out these helpful tips and hints!

• Ripe Peaches: While peach crisp is a super-simple dessert, there is one thing that can ruin it, over-ripe peaches. I recommend buying your peaches a day or two in advance, to make sure they have time to ripen, but are not too soft. If you use peaches that are extra soft and ripe, they will become mushy once baked. Pick just ripened peaches that still feel firm for the best texture.
• Let Rest: It’s worth repeating: don’t try to serve this dish right away. If you serve peach crisp immediately after taking it out of the oven, it will be almost molten hot – and it will fall apart! It’s best to let it rest for at least ten minutes. The syrupy juices will begin to thicken, and the crisp will cool enough to be served safely.
• Room Temperature Butter: Make sure your butter is softened and at room temperature. If it is cold, or still partially cold, it will be pretty impossible to get the correct texture for the streusel topping.

Peach Crisp Variations

Depending on the ingredients you have on hand, you can dress this simple dessert in all kinds of ways. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• 9×13: Need to double this recipe? No problem! Double the recipe and bake it in a 9×13 casserole dish. Watch the baking time, but expect to need an additional 10 minutes of bake time.
• Frozen Peaches: You can frozen peaches for fresh, if you like! Allow the peaches to completely thaw out, ideally in a colander or strainer over a bowl, to catch the excess water and juices. Once the peaches are thawed and drained, proceed with the recipe as written. The final texture will be softer than when made with fresh peaches, but still tasty.
• Gluten Free: Use a reputable, gluten-free, all-purpose flour blend, instead of the regular flour, for the streusel topping. Skip the flour added into the peaches and add an extra 2 teaspoons of cornstarch instead. The texture of the topping may be slightly different, but the results will still be scrumptious!
• Berry Peach Crisp: To make a gorgeous berry-studded version of this crisp, replace ⅓ to ½ of the fruit with fresh (or frozen, drained) berries. Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries all work really well in this recipe!
• Caramel: Create a decadent, sticky version of this crisp by drizzling caramel sauce over the top, five minutes before the crisp is done. Continue baking for the remaining 5 minutes, and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
• Nuts: Want to add some nuts? You can add a 1/2 chopped pecans, walnuts or even almonds to the streusel topping! This gives it a good crunch!

Can I Prep or Make This Ahead

Absolutely! I have done both successfully many times.

• Prep Ahead: Prepare the crisp, but do not bake. Instead, wrap with Saran Wrap or foil and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Remove 30 minutes to up to an hour before you are ready to bake the crisp and set it on the counter to warm up a little. Preheat your oven and bake as directed in the recipe.
• Make Ahead: Bake crisp as directed and let cool. If you are serving in the next couple of hours, feel free to leave it resting at room temperature. Then reheat the entire crisp in the oven at 400°F for about 8 minutes, until warmed through. Or reheat individual servings in the microwave.

How to Store and Reheat Peach Crisp

To store any leftovers, all you have to do is cover your baking dish with plastic wrap, and store the whole dish in the fridge. Don’t want to store the dish? No problem! Just portion the crisp into airtight containers. Peach crisp will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.

To reheat, place the crisp in an oven-safe dish and bake at 400°F until heated through. Or microwave individual servings in 30 second bursts.

Can I Freeze This?

Yes, peach crisp will freeze and reheat just fine – although the topping may not be quite as crunchy.To freeze, portion the crisp into freezer containers, or wrap the entire crisp with plastic wrap followed by a layer of foil. Mark with the date, and freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat directly from frozen in the oven or microwave as desired.

More Easy Fruit Dessert Recipes

• Banana Pudding Bars
• Crockpot Cherry Cobbler
• Old Fashioned Coconut Cream Pie
• Caramel Pumpkin Cobbler
• Easy Banana Pudding
• Cinnamon Baked Apples
• Brown Sugar Banana Bread

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